Blindsided on Some Idle Tuesday
by callistawolf
Summary: The unthinkable happens on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday afternoon.


They didn't take enough days like this. It wasn't his fault, or hers, exactly. Rose had just as big a thirst for adventure and running that he did. But she didn't have the same stamina that he did and sometimes she needed a break, even if he had to be the one to suggest or insist on it.

The Doctor decided, after their run in with the Beast on Krop Tor, that he needed to insist more often, though, because spending time with Rose where they could relax was _nice_.

They were out at an ice cream shop, somewhere in America. He couldn't remember if this was Idaho or Nevada or Wyoming or Montana... all those states tended to get jumbled together in his recollection. There were waving expanses of grassland, mountains beckoning in the distance and a sweet breeze blowing through a cloudless sky. Rose had been so delighted with the destination that his hearts had swelled as he watched her go on and on about "finally getting to see _real_ America".

The Doctor had tried pointing out that they'd been here before but she'd waved an impatient hand, insisting that an underground bunker in Utah didn't quite count. This was a medium-sized city in the middle of America and all that came with that; Walmarts and fast food restaurants and enormous automobiles and a Starbucks on every corner. She'd begged him to take her someplace that served ice cream and he'd been more than happy to indulge her since it was a warm day and ice cream sounded marvellous.

He'd held her hand as they walked down the street lined with shops together, enjoying her nearness and the way her fingers linked so easily with his. The Doctor was soothed by her nearness, stimulated by the texture of her skin against his, spellbound by her flirtatious grin. He could feel his resolve to keep himself distanced from her waning more with each passing day. Would this be the day where he finally gave in?

In the ice cream shop, they each ordered cones. Rose requested strawberry and the Doctor went for Rocky Road. They sat at a table near the register, licking the melting goodness and giggling at one another like they were teenagers. The shop was quiet otherwise; they were the only ones there besides the girl who had helped them behind the register.

Rose had just finished licking up an errant stream of melted ice cream that had been winding down the curve of her hand (a sight which had left his mouth dry and his hearts pounding), when the bell over the door jangled angrily as a hooded figure slammed inside.

There was barely enough time to react. The thug (he looked young, no more than 18 years old) whipped a handgun out of front pocket of his hoodie and brandished it at the girl at the register. He was shouting at her, demanding she open the till and give him the money. The girl's hands were shaking and she looked very much like she'd like to burst into tears.

The Doctor was on his feet right away, trying to put himself in between the boy and Rose. He spoke placatingly but his words seemed to only inflame him further. The thug shouted, waving the gun around wildly. Rose called for the Doctor, her voice nervous, but he focused on the youth in front of him. The boy's eyes were wide and glazed and a little frightened as well.

"You don't have to do this," the Doctor said soothingly.

"Screw you, man, you don't know me," the young man yelled. He turned back to the girl at the register. "Hurry up with my money, bitch!"

"I- I don't have the key!" the girl cried, pressing buttons ineffectually on the register.

The young man exploded then, yelling profanities and waving the gun in the girl's face. She crumbled to the ground, sobbing in fear. The Doctor's mind was racing, wondering if there was a setting on his sonic that would disable the firing pin in the gun and he didn't notice Rose run around the counter to the girl's side until she was already there, glaring up at the thug.

"You're scaring her half to death!" Rose cried, brushing hair out of the girls face and murmuring something to her. Then she stood and faced the young man. "She said she doesn't have a key to open the register. You need to let her think for a moment so she can remember which button to press, okay?"

The Doctor marvelled at his precious girl, inserting herself into a dangerous situation and trying to diffuse the emotions that were running high. Already, the young man was lowering the gun and relaxing, just a bit. The girl on the floor was no longer sobbing quite as loudly. It looked as though everything was going to be just fine. If everyone could keep their head.

But then, through the quiet, they all heard the high pitched wail of oncoming sirens.

This wasn't supposed to happen. They were on _vacation_.

The sound of the approaching sirens caused pandemonium to break out in the little ice cream shop. The boy with the gun lost his mind, panicking and he went back to brandishing the weapon in Rose's face as she stood before the girl crouched on the floor who was now sobbing again.

"You called the cops!" the thug accused.

"I did not," Rose insisted, holding her hands up to show that she had no mobile.

The girl on the floor pointed at something and Rose cocked her head and looked. There was a button on the underside of the counter next to the register. A silent alarm. She must have pressed it as soon as this guy pulled out the gun.

"Listen, don't do anything rash," the calm voice of the Doctor interjected. Rose could see him inching ever closer to the young man. "You have choices here."

"I have no choice!" the boy insisted. He turned his head to address the Doctor but the gun remained pointed at Rose. If she could just grab it from him...

The Doctor must have seen what she was planning to do an instant before she sprung into action. "No! Rose!" he shouted.

The young man was startled, both by the yelling and by Rose's sudden lunge towards him. His finger pressed on the trigger almost without thinking.

The noise of the gunshot rang throughout the shop, echoing off the walls and resounding painfully in her eardrums as something burned in her chest. Rose fell forward against the counter, wondering for a wild moment what had just happened. She reached up to her chest, to where it still burned like nothing she'd ever felt before, and drew back her hand to see her fingers coated in her own blood.

"Oh," she murmured, as she slumped to the floor behind the register. The young girl was truly screaming now, clawing to get away into the back room. Rose watched her flee and didn't judge her; once upon a time she would have reacted the same way.

There was a swirling of brown as the Doctor dropped down beside her. She was aware of a lot of voices echoing through the shop suddenly and wondered if that meant the police had arrived. There was shouting and thumping sounds and the static of police radios and she could see the dancing red-blue of lights on the walls, over the menu that proclaimed all thirty-one flavors of ice cream the shop boasted.

"Rose, you're going to be fine," the Doctor insisted, his voice cracking just a little.

She wasn't sure if she felt fine, though. She didn't feel _not_ fine. It was almost like she was... floating. Dimly, she remembered hearing someone once say, "Pain lets you know you're still alive." That made her nervous, because shouldn't she be feeling pain? Maybe, if she wasn't feeling pain, then maybe she was dying...

She must have said something out loud because she felt the Doctor's strong arms grip her shoulders. "Stop that, Rose. You are _not_ dying."

Rose focused on his face as he laid her down on the floor, pulling up on her shirt to inspect the damage. He was trying to keep his expression neutral, but she could see the hard line of his jaw and the dimple that stood out on his cheek. She was starting to feel cold and tired. Lifting a hand, she touched his face.

"Doctor," she whispered and her lips felt suddenly dry and parched. There was an urge to shiver but no energy with which to do it. She could feel herself fading.

His eyes met hers and they were tearful. He held a towel he'd grabbed over her wound but she could see that it was already soaked with red blood. She had so many things she wanted to tell him. _She loved him. She wouldn't have changed a moment. She loved him. Traveling with him was the best decision she'd ever made. She loved him. She wouldn't have missed this for the world. She __loved__ him. _

An urge to laugh surged through her, unbidden. What came out was a gurgling sound, almost a giggle and the Doctor shushed her while tears streamed down his beautiful face. After all of their fantastic adventures, Rose never thought she would die from something as mundane as an ordinary gunshot wound. _Oh_, but she hated to leave him alone. That was what hurt the most, here at the end.

Everything slowly went black and Rose knew no more.

The Doctor carried Rose's limp, lifeless form back to the TARDIS. The police officers had barely noticed him leave with her, for which he was grateful. They'd been occupied with comforting and questioning the shaking girl as well as handcuffing the young hoodlum who had stolen everything precious from him. It'd been easy enough to scoop Rose up and carry her out and towards where the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor wasn't in the mood for explanations and statements and dealing with 21st century coroners. Besides, he had to get her home. To Jackie.

That was one slap he would gladly receive. He definitely deserved it and worse. What was he going to say to her? How could he tell her that her only daughter was _gone_ and because of his stupid negligence? If only he hadn't called out and startled that boy with the gun.

The walk back to the TARDIS was quick and uneventful. He'd parked, as was his usual custom, in an out of the way location so there weren't many who saw him striding with Rose in his arms towards the anachronistic blue box. Once inside, he debated for a moment before taking her to the med bay. He thought about laying her on her bed in her room, but he couldn't bear his last memory of her room being one where her lifeless body lay upon the duvet.

He'd far rather remember that morning, when he'd burst into her room, waking her up with a cheerful greeting. She'd chucked a pillow at him and grumbled something rude. He hadn't been deterred, of course. This was their custom and was well established. He rather thought she wanted him to wake her up in the mornings and lay in bed sometimes on purpose, waiting for him.

Never again would he see her sleepy self, hair impossibly tousled and creases on her cheek from the pillowcase. His hearts twisted painfully as he set her down on the bed in the med bay.

The Doctor arranged her hands over her abdomen and spread her hair out on the pillow. Except for the gaping wound in her chest, just under the white cotton of her bra (which was no longer white but a terrible blood-soaked red), she might have looked like she was resting. Her features were relaxed and calm. But inside of him, a storm raged.

He dropped into the chair next to the bed and let his head fall onto her shoulder as he let out his anguish. He'd been such a fool. Not just with startling the gunman, but with Rose. He'd held her at bay for years now. Even after he knew how she felt about him, after his regeneration and after he knew that she accepted him in this form, he still had distanced himself from her. He hadn't allowed himself to indulge in his feelings for her and he had pretended to ignore her feelings for him.

Now it was too late. Oh, there was something worse than loss after all. There was _regret_.

His hearts breaking, he finally stood and walked towards the door to the med bay. It was time to bring her back to Jackie and face the music that awaited him there. He turned in the doorway for one last look at his precious girl. And what he saw brought him to his knees.

As he stared, the wound on her chest glowed brighter and brighter. It was surrounded with golden vapour and shimmering strands that reached out into the air around her, seemingly drawing in more energy and more light. As he stared, the glowing mist began to travel down her form until it covered her entire body. It was unlike anything he'd ever witnessed before.

Well. That wasn't entirely accurate. He'd seen this sort of ethereal glow once before. At the Games Station.

He remained on his knees, staring in disbelief, as the golden vapour began to dissipate. It was as if it were sucked back into her, all on it's own. Now _that_ was definitely a new development. Her chest rose and fell with deep, even breathing and the color was back in her cheeks. The Doctor clambered to his feet and stumbled back to Rose's side, grabbing at one of her hands which now felt warm to his touch again. He gripped it tightly as he returned to the chair.

"Rose?" he gasped, still disbelieving what his own eyes had seen and what his own fingers had felt, but feeling a surge of hope coursing through him regardless.

Her eyes fluttered slowly open and her gaze settled on his face. "Doctor? Where- what happened?" Her voice was a little hoarse but she sounded strong. She sounded _fine_.

The Doctor struggled to choke back a sob so he wouldn't overwhelm her. "You- you were shot. Do you remember?"

She nodded and a line appeared between her eyebrows. "Yes. He shot me. It was on accident, I'm sure. But..." She trailed off and before he could stop her, was levering up on her elbows. She looked down at her chest and gasped as she saw the blood soaked bra. Then her fingers felt across the rest of her chest, clearly looking for the wound but finding nothing but smooth, perfect skin.

She lifted her head and gaped at him, her eyes wide. "What happened?" she breathed.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "A miracle," he replied.

"But- but I died. I remember that. I remember dying," she insisted. "I didn't want to but I couldn't help it."

"I know, Rose. I know you didn't," he murmured, his throat closing up at the memory of her body going limp in his, her breath and life leaving her.

"So how am I not dead then, Doctor?" she asked, sounding gloriously annoyed at having to ask specifically.

"Bad Wolf," he told her and he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Bad Wolf saved you. Brought you back to me."

"But I thought you took the vortex out of me," Rose said, sitting up now and looking concerned. "You died doing it."

The Doctor rubbed at the hair at the back of his head. "I thought I got it all. But I think it changed you. I think a bit stayed behind and it... It must have made you different. I'll have to run some tests to know for sure. But... Rose, I can't be sorry about this. Because you were dead and now you're here and I-"

He broke off, unable to contain it any longer. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her to him tightly and breathing gratitude into her hair. After a startled moment, she wrapped her arms around him in return, hugging him back just as hard.

"Don't ever leave me again," he muttered into her neck as he pressed his lips to the skin there.

"Never," she promised. "I'm here, Doctor. I'm yours. Forever."

Her words burned through him and he remembered how bitter the regret had stung when he'd thought he'd lost her. No more wasting time, then. If she would have him, he would give himself to her and have her in return.

The Doctor drew back but still held her in his lap, his hands tight around her waist. He wanted to see her face when he said what was on his mind. "Rose, I have to tell you," he began and he swallowed nervously. "I couldn't bear for you not to know a minute longer, now that I have a second chance."

His throat felt dry and his palms, warm and damp. This was a completely foreign feeling to him and he saw Rose smiling at him gently, if a little confusedly. "Whatever it is, Doctor, it can't be _that_ scary."

"Oh, I don't know," he said, his voice shaking a little and he tried to hide it with a chuckle. He tugged on his ear and swallowed again, gathering his courage. "Rose, I love you."

She wasn't smiling now, just staring at him with wide, brown eyes. Eyes, he now noticed, that were flecked with gold. "Doctor," she murmured, her voice hushed.

He flushed a little, wondering if maybe he'd guessed her feelings for him incorrectly. "Is that all you have to say?" he asked, a little weakly.

Rose's face split into a gorgeous grin right then. "Oh, Doctor. Don't be daft," she chided him gently. "I love you, too."

Relief flowed over him as he cupped her face and kissed her, good and properly. Rose squeaked in surprise before she sunk her fingers into his hair and returned his kiss just as fervently.

The Doctor didn't know what to notice first; the way she felt pressed up against him, the taste of her mouth as his tongue swept through, the sounds she was making deep in her throat that were driving him utterly wild. He wanted to notice it all and keep noticing it for as long as he could. As Rose's tongue brushed tantalisingly over the roof of his mouth, the Doctor decided that perhaps they should move this 'noticing' to the bedroom, where they'd both be more comfortable.

Lucky for him, Rose agreed wholeheartedly.


End file.
